Folding ladder



Sept. 18; 1934. s. E. BURKE FOLDING LADDER Filed April 15, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gum M 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zepfiezz ET 3207756 WIWQW D Patented Sept. 18, 1934 1 QLDIQN G LADDE Stephen E. Burke, Evanston, 111.1 Application .April 15, 1933, Se ial No, 66 377 9 Claims. (01. 228-..23) V Th s inven on r l es o ladders and wmi i'ii t lar to es ehsi nleolo ers o th i ldeh e t pe- .Ih io ohhe la de as a esent eoh t hoted, sh ieh t ha been ound i ,lseepihe th soo ons '1 3i positively in extended position when in use and lso ink n ne t ld. se ons l he a i ohe anothe h th dder is i th l o de or ea ry he posit on Th imary obje t o t i inven n sih provision of an imp d .ioldi e adde hav n shhs a-htia hin mea o holding th se t ons in (ex ende po ti h- 1 Anothe bieot he invention is h r vi on o z ihe meeh fo v o dh s se on o o din 5 ladde .Wh ehsr p o i d w the improved ositive y lookin mean f o din he seo iohs extended o tion- Another and hi ther hieet o the invent on the prov si n o he s n l loo in me n r a oldthe a d w ch n o o ition l o t s tio n opene exte ded i n nd in a t r look t s cti ns h f deol posit oh- Another and still further object of the invention is the provision of a single locking member to ':.2 hold sections of a folding ladder in either extended position or folded position and so con.-

structed that when it is moved from holding the sections in folded position it is ready to automatically function to hold them inextendedposi- '30 tion when and as soon as theyareextended.

Other and further objects will be apparentgto those skilled in the art from a reading of the Icomplete specification and claims.

7 Referring to the drawings whereinlhaveillustrated an embodiment of my invention,

Figure ;1 is a fragmental view of two stiles of adjacent sections, ofa ladder showing my improved hinge connection, the ladder sections being so.- cured in extended position.

$0 Figure -2is.a view similar to Figure 1, .but show.-

ing the swinging locking means ina released-position, the ladder sections being moved from the extended position toward folded position.

Figure Bis a view from the left in Figure 1.

Figure i is a view similar to-rFigure 3, but showing the locking means in released position.

Figure 5 is a reverse view of the hinge member only illustrated in Figure 1, the locking means :being in lockedposition.

Figure 6 is a fragmental viewof theends of :threes otion W en i fo e os t onwFigurefl is a yiew similar to Figure ii-showing the free end ofanendsectionswung olearaiter beingg' eleased or in a posi i n just .hefore i i .5 completely folded.

fi u e 8 s e r w of an t rm o ihve on similar t thes o i l h' fishl hu h w n o ooh .h he it? la e o theTlee I hhhs ofthe previous views. v

T se e e heehh re t re e t the feme W- o s mi Por s hr u hou t s rio s ews o the drawings. l

h oe ry hs out my hveht o vi ha heeh o hs dered des abl t P o ide e'h he the eething m n wh hls h ov o th 6.5 th en v would h seed o h ioh shell times.

h oh hot oh o the a d sec ions e se hs w h m nte tion ore oo veh ohelh re y ohv h eh s h t omhsh P r se loohe eet ons d vide th ee he sle tions.

1 h re .ehd e e il us re d o diee ht st es show n th lh hs o hhe ho h h 'ihs de o t es l h o hr ehteeo o h oi 5.

placement of the holdingmeans, Iplaee the orkr h hos n the nsi of th senses t os t o they a e p ot s d ee ste le oeh e oish oeh eht by ve yt x t th o. o :th hs T eshl 0 o t i h e seet ho the 89. ladder has a hinge section 11 secured thereto by i hit h e o e or rivets 3- f i s ile o th relatively lower section of the ladder has a, .corespondin hi e see ioh 5 Wh oh is ro e connected to the hinge section '11 at their edges hrs Pi l membe h pi hemher .16 is p ef abl s .hl t t i s .oe e is 1h th lin o the ed s o the sti es 10 one .Ih eoieoeh nd o th in seohohs 1, she 5 re eh i we t fhrh e etihe o 9Q eleme ta o t n to Pr vid s oo hl eeh i oe ve hhro fn s en h dde lsee't on' we lse hreo in ext ed o n- Tob ne about this result, I have provided a pre'ssedeout tohehe hi h ext s i t sthe oath o s o he sh t o th owe d o t eiup' r hinge se .ti on 1. I

h th ed es o th ates 1 ,15 oppos t to the pivot e oe h -oomnleli hte r hotohe en h s vsh l e t ee 49 .eeoi -w h e ho d hohe to h les rihe t hold th ladd se ns i ext de voos t o lh .theioshy lh r the hotohes 1 she ht so placed that they register vwhen the lowerredge of-the hinge seotion l-l restsuponthe tongue .117. 195 A okihs ehher2 s uhted hh he h 21 which i r iro e et 2 t he-h h e eoti e the upp se o -1 I th orm i lhsh-e in Figu e t 'L- h e s e oemeh 2, -Q, h df9 th Pivo 1. 2 op s e to th torm :2 ;"-I1. on 1 end has two flat surfaces which are for engagement with a spring 24. One of these cam surfaces 23 when in engagement with the spring 24, resiliently holds the locking member 20 in the notches 18, 19. When this locking member 20 is in the notches 18, 19, the cooperation with the notch shoulders 18 19 and the locking member 20, together with the ooaction between the hinge section 11 and the tongue 17 and the pivot pin 16 with the hinge sections 11, 15, secures the hinge sections 11, 15 in rigid extended position.

It is to be noted that the upper corner of the hinge section opposite the section upon which the locking member 20 is mounted, has a cut away corner as at 15 The purpose of this is to permit the locking member 20 to ride up over the corner 15 and snap into the notch 19 as the ladder sections are brought to extendedp'osition.

As already indicated, the locking member 20.

not only holds the two adjacent ends of two ladder section-stiles in extended position, but this locking member 20 also serves to hold one of the two adjacent sections and the free end of a third section in folded position. This I have illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. In these figures, the stiles 10 and 14 are shown as the middle and left sections. At the right is the free end 26 of a stile of a third ladder section, the opposite end (no-t shown) being connected to the stile 10 as already described for the hinge connection between the stiles 10 and 14. Unless some means are provided to keep the relatively free ends close to each other when the ladder is folded, the ladder is difficult to handle and transport. To secure the stile 26 in place when folded, I provide a plate 27 on the inside of the stile 26 in a position so that the detent means 25 will be in position tobe engaged by the locking member 20 when the latter is in a position away from the notch 18. When so engaged the cam end member 23 is engaged on its flat surface 23 by the spring 24.

Assuming the parts to be in the position as illustrated in Figure 6, the free sections are released by releasing the locking members 20 from the detent means 25. As the locking member 20 is moved, the spring 24 loses contact with the flat surface 23 and contacts with the flat sur-' face 23 The locking member 20 is drawn by the spring 24into the notch 18.

As the ladder sections are extended, the looking member 20 rides up over the cut away edge 15 and as the complementary notches 18, 19, register, the locking member 20 drops into place and holds the ladder sections in extended position. To'release the sections to fold the ladder, a reversal of the operations is made, the locking member '20 being left in a locked position relative to the detent means 25.

In the form shown in Figure 8, the construction of the parts is similar except that a coil spring l24rep1aces the cam 23 and the spring 24. The operation is similar to that already described and needs no further description.

While I have described and shown embodiments of my invention in detail, I desire to have it understood that these are merely illustrative and that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having describedmy invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. Hinge means for folding ladders comprising two relatively movable members, pivot means for securing the members together at their edges,

coacting open notches at the edges opposite to the pivots and extending into the bodies of the movable members and a holding device engaging the notches to hold the movable members in extended position.

2. Hinge means for folding ladders comprising two relatively movable members, pivot means for securing the members together at their edges, each movable member having an open notch extending into its body portion and coacting with a notch in the other member and pivoted holding means for registering with the notches to hold the movable members in extended position.

3. Hinge means for folding ladders, comprising two relatively pivoted members, pivot means for securing the members together at their edges, each movable member having overlapping portions relative to the other and each having an open notch extending into its body portion and complementary to the other notch, and each havingcomplementary stop means to limit relative movement in one direction and a pivoted holding means for engaging the notches to hold the pivoted members against movement when in extended position.

4. Hinge means for folding ladders, comprising two relatively pivoted members, pivot means for securing the members together at their edges, each movable member having an open notch extending into its body portionand complementary to the notch of the other movable member and each member having complementary stop means to limit relative movement in one direction and a spring pressed pivoted holding means for engaging the notches to cooperate with the stop means to hold the pivoted members against movement in either direction when the folding ladder sections are in extended position.

5. A folding ladder having a series of sections,

pivots for pivoting adjacent sections together and means for securing the sections in extended relation when in one position and for securing the free end of an adjacent section in folded position when in another position.

6. A folding ladder having a series of sections, pivots for pivoting the adjacent sections together and a securing means pivotally mounted adjacent one of the pivots to at will hold the pivoted sections in extended position or to engage the free end of another adjacent section to hold the latter in folded position.

'7. A folding ladder having a series of sections, hinge plates secured to adjacent sections and having complementary shoulders, a pivot for pivotally securing the plates together at their edges and a swinging member engaging the complementary shoulders of the plates to hold the adjacent ladder sections in extended position when the swinging member is in one position and to hold the free end of another adjacent section the swinging member is in one position and to 9 a hold the free end of another adjacent section when the swinging member is in another position, and resilient means tending to hold the' swinging member in either of its holding positions. 3 0

- a swinging member engaging the complementary shoulders of the plates to hold, with the limiting means, the adjacent ladder sections in extending position when the swinging member is in one position and to hold the free end of another adjacent section when the swinging member is in another position.

STEPHEN E. BURKE. 

